In My View

Politicians could learn from Whitefish

Recently I've been reading numerous articles in newspapers describing the goings-on and the way that business is conducted in the state legislature. I'd like to tell you how it works from my point of view.

The City of Whitefish was fortunate to get Senator Dan Weinberg to sponsor a bill (SB 237) that would allow (not require) city, county, and state governments to consider price when hiring an architectural, engineering, or land surveying firm.

Believe it or not, we're currently not allowed to find out how much these firms will charge us until after we hire them. Our city was represented by one councilor, the deputy mayor (myself), and the city manager. Additionally, two senators testified in favor of the bill, which had the support of 30 cities and 6 counties.

After working on my testimony for many hours over a three week period and driving four hours from Whitefish to Helena, we were told by the chairman of the Local Government Committee that the proponents and the opponents each had fifteen minutes to present their testimony.

By the time that I got to speak, I had about two and a half minutes. Even though I finished on time, it wasn't without being interrupted by the chairman telling me to hurry up. It was quite evident from the start that some on the committee were tired and impatient. The chairman's continued interruptions did nothing to help our cause. He was outwardly annoyed (based on his comments) that we had the nerve to read portions of our testimony, never mind that they wouldn't bother to read our written comments otherwise. I had to cut my comments so short that I didn't get to make my points very well.

To show that the committee wasn't biased, they didn't allow our opposition to state their case adequately either. During the committee's question and answer period, the senators were rushed by the chairman.

I can't help but compare the way people are treated in Helena with the way that we on the city council treat them in Whitefish. We may encourage speakers to be brief and not be redundant when we know we'll hear fifty testimonies on an issue, but we try hard not to be rude, to act bored, and to interrupt, even though we work full days before our meetings (that range from 4 - 8 hours long) begin.

And, unlike those senators, we aren't paid. The Local Government Committee didn't serve us well. We didn't set their schedule, and shouldn't have been rushed through the hearing like cattle through a chute. And we shouldn't have been made to feel like we were nothing but an irritant, a necessary inconvenience in their day.

Some will say that my indignation is just sour grapes, since our bill was defeated. Not true; it's always an uphill battle when you're fighting a powerful special interest lobby. I just think we and our opponents deserved better. One of the senators was even heard saying before the hearing that she hadn't paid much attention to the bill, but didn't think it was a good idea. I was upset about our treatment long before I knew the outcome of our efforts.

If the problem is that the committees' schedules are too overwhelming, then something should change — either a longer session or fewer bills. Regardless, the bills that they do hear should actually be heard and seriously considered, not received with a yawn and dismissed with a wave of a hand.

In closing, let me say to the senators and representatives that take their offices seriously, thank you for your time and your dedication in serving the public. I can only hope that you'll rub off on the others.

Doug Adams is a city councilman for Whitefish.